Networks

Question

Complicated network setup - losing any hope!

Hi. I'm struggling with it for a while now and ready to give up soon. Here's what I'm trying to do:I have two win XP pro computers next to each other. I need one of them to connect to the internet using my cable modem via USB. I need another one to connect using a Wi-Fi USB adapter. It's all easily achievable. BUT I also need them to share a mouse and a keyboard, so I need them to connect to each other using a router and TCP/IP for that. Can't get it to work. If they share keyboard and mouse, it means they can't connect to the internet. If they connect to internet, they can't see each other on the local network. What should I do? How do I tell my browser to connect through one network connection but ignore the other???

geez

a router creates networks [it subnets] most consumer level routers are also firewalls.

so if you already have a wired router, and you connect it to another router, you've just created 2 networks. comps behind one can not access comps behind the other by virtue of the firewall. To gain access you would have to setup a VPN or open ports on the wireless router and port forward whatever ports whatever program your going to use. Not worth the trouble.

So, if you want wireless comps behind the wired router to get access to wirer comps to share files and folders, get an Access Point. An Access point is not a router. Just a wireless access on the same network.

KVM Switch and sharing

As already suggested, if all you want is to share one keyboard and mouse between the two PCs, you need a KVM (Keyboard Video Mouse) switch which is a small box containing the receptacles for your screen, keyboard and mouse, and two sets of connectors and cables which connect to the keyboard, video and mouse ports in both PCs.

Does the PC with a WiFi USB adapter connect to the internet connection which uses the cable modem? If that is the case, you need a wireless router which has a WAN port to which the cable modem is connected through a network cable. The PC which you have now connected through USB to the cable modem will have a flylead connecting it to one of the LAN ports in the router.

You need to set up the wireless function in the router with settings that you then enter into the other PC, like SSID and WAP encryption key, so that it can connect to the access point provided by the wireless router.

If the router acts as the DHCP server, it assigns and internal IP address like 192.168.1.x where x is determined by the range of the DHCP addresses, to each of the PCs and they will be on the same subnet. If the PCs are also in the same workgroup (right click My Computer and select Properties, then Computer Name), you can add File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks to the Properties of the Local Area Connection or Wireless Connection in both computers and you can start sharing folders and printers.

humm

guess I didn't fully understand the posters question. I assumed he already has a router in place .

Toivo is right if you have a cable internet connection and that connection goes directly into a computer for internet access [not recommended]. Then as Toivo said, you'll need a router so that you can share the internet connection. You CAN get a wireless router which has a built in 4 port wired switch. With that, you can have both wired and wireless and both wired and wireless comps can access shared resources.

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